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By: Todd Neale, MedPage Today
I recently got back from the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, where I witnessed a prime example of "getting ahead of yourself."
In a press conference Monday discussing the next morning's late-breaking clinical trials session to close out the meeting, we heard preliminary results from a pivotal trial of the Rheos Baroreflex Activation Therapy system, which is being developed by CVRx for treating resistant hypertension.

Medivance offers the Arctic Sun® Temperature Management System, a thermoregulatory device that monitors and controls patient temperature within a range of 33°C to 37°C (91.4°F to 98.6°F). According to the company, the system exhibits:
The Model 2000 automated controller featuring:
The ability to monitor and control patient temperature
The ability to pull temperature-controlled water ranging between 4°C and 42°C (39.

DeRoyal offers general purpose probes for temperature monitoring. The company offers both nasopharyngeal probes and nasal probes. The Nasopharyngeal Probe features:
A very soft sheath for atraumatic insertion to minimize epistaxis.
An 18” sheath on a 30” wire that provides additional flexibility.

ZOLL's Intravascular Temperature Management (IVTM™) solutions gives health care providers the power and control they need to rapidly, safely and effectively manage the core body temperature of critically ill or surgical patients.
The Thermogard XP® console and family of cooling/warming catheters work together to provide cooling and warming in reaching and maintaining target temperature within the patient’s body, offering superior clinical efficiency when compared with other methods.

Action Products has unveiled a new website dedicated to pressure ulcer prevention. The site has been combined with the Action International site to give a global solution to decubitus ulcers. The new site will feature improved navigation, specialty related products and much more product information than on the current site.

John Flesher, AP
With a huge and unpredictable oil slick drifting in the Gulf of Mexico, state and federal authorities are preparing to deal with a variety of hazards to human health if and when the full brunt of the toxic mess washes ashore. The list of potential threats runs from temporary, minor nuisances such as runny noses and headaches to long-term risks such as cancer if contaminated seafood ends up in the marketplace.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a new rating system for its hospitals that will limit the types of surgeries doctors can perform at some facilities. The changes come after several patients died because of surgical mistakes at one Illinois VA hospital. Officials acknowledged that at least nine patients died directly because of surgical mistakes by doctors at the Marion VA Medical Center in southern Illinois in 2006 and 2007.

Complications with some recent operations performed at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Vermont have raised concerns about the amount of training surgeons should undergo before using a da Vinci system on live patients. These incidents, which have included lacerated bladders and severed ureters, have many wondering if the marketing advantages for a hospital are being given greater priority over patient safety.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are rare lesions stemming from connective tissue anywhere along the length of the gut. This video reviews treatment of such a tumor through Laparoscopic Partial Gastrectomy.